How to Simplify Your Life by Simplifying Your Wardrobe

It’s 7am. You have to get out the door. You’re staring at your closet, thinking “I have nothing to wear.” Well, maybe it’s not that you have nothing to wear, but you don’t want to wear anything that’s in front of you. Maybe an item just don’t fit right or you don’t like how it looks with the other options, maybe it’s just that it’s situationally inappropriate. “I’m just dropping off the kids at school, why do I have so many skirt suits?”

But you have LOTS of clothes. Like lots. Like you can’t slide the hangers across the bar in your closet because it is so packed lots, and let’s not talk about the state of your dresser drawers.

What Is a Capsule Wardrobe?

A capsule wardrobe is a simplified wardrobe made of pieces that can easily be mixed, matched, and accessorized to be dressed up or down for any occasion.

First Things First – Declutter!

Start by decluttering. The best way to declutter once and for all is to take every single item of clothing out of your closet, dresser, seasonal storage, coat closet, and pile it all in an open space. Grab each piece by hand and ask “does this bring me joy?” If it doesn’t, it’s time to let it go. Keep in mind that it’s hard to feel joy when something doesn’t fit quite right and brings a feeling of guilt or insecurity.

Don’t worry about the “what-ifs.” If you have something in your closet that you’ve only kept because “maybe you’ll need it later,” let it go. Seriously. Worst case scenario? You find a replacement if you ever need it, but the likelihood is that you won’t.

Feel guilty about having spent too much on something? Sell it on E-Bay and be thankful for the lesson it’s taught – just because it’s pretty on the hanger doesn’t mean it’s right for me.

Analyze What You Have Left

Look at what you have left over. What do these pieces have in common? Are they structured? Do they share a particular color palette? Do your tops share a particular neckline? Are your pants all boot cuts or straight-legged?

I can guess one thing they do have in common, without a doubt – the pieces you have left over are classics. I’ll bet they’re mostly timeless basics that have transcended most trends and still work for you right now, just as they did when you bought them. This is going to be important for the next steps because those are going to become the core of your capsule.

Assess Your Needs

Now for the fun part. You need to figure out what kind of clothes you actually need in your wardrobe based on your lifestyle. Are you a stay-at-home-mom? Your wardrobe may be more casual with jeans & tees, easy pants, casual dresses, and maxi skirts. Do you work in an office? Your wardrobe might look more professional – structured skirts, button down tops, a couple great blazers, a good pair of chic but casual pants. Maybe you’re somewhere in between, like a home-based business owner. You’ll probably want a mix of structure and casual style – a couple pairs of dark jeans you can dress up or down, interesting tees that you can layer with a good blazer, a couple nice blouses that you can dress down with jeans or dress up with a pencil skirt.

After you’ve figured out your needs, consider your aesthetic. Are you a more modern dresser? Girly? Bohemian? Edgy? Romantic? Figure out how you want to express yourself outwardly – clothes don’t have to be wholly utilitarian, after all! This all comes back to feeling joyful, so wear things that let you feel good.

About The Author

Stacey Ogden is the founder and owner of Creating My Happiness and the Busy Mom Collective. She founded Creating My Happiness in 2014 as a way to help busy moms make life a bit easier, and also coaches mompreneurs on how to manage their time, do what needs to be done and still have time for fun. She lives in western Connecticut with her husband, 7 year old daughter, and German Shepherd puppy where she teaches middle school music and runs a local chapter of Business Among Moms.